Tube-forming apparatus.



'PATENTED JULY 21, 1903. W. CAIRNS. TUBBFORMING APPARATUS.- APPLICATION I'ILED MAB. 2, 1903 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

' in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio,

UNITED ST TES Iatented July 21, 1903 v,

P TENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM CAIRNS, OF ELYRIA, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELYRIA IRON AND STEEL COMPANY, OF ELYRIA, OHIO, CORPORATION OF OHIO.

TUBE-FORMING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 734,300, dated July 21, 1903.

Application filed March 2, 1908.

To aZZ whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, WILLIAM CAIRNS, a citizen of the United States,residin g at Elyria,

have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Tube-Forming Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The invention is an improved organization of mechanism by which'a strip of metalskelp, as such a strip is technically termedis bent longitudinally into tubular form.

The object is to provide comparatively simple mechanism by which this work may be effectively performed with the result of producing a truly cylindrical tube.

The-invention may be here summarized as consisting in a combination of parts shown and hereinafter described, and pointed out definitely in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of mechanism embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the former E and mandrel-bar F and part of the guide K. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan View of the coverplate of the former. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the bottom plate of the former. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the former. Fig. (5 is a transverse sectional view" of the guide K in the planeindica'ted by line 6 6 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view in the plane indicated by line 7 7 of Fig. 1. Figs. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 are transverse sectional views of the former in the planes indicated by lines 8 to 14, inclusive, of Fig. 2. Fig. 15 is a transverse sectional View on line 15 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the parts by letters, A and B represent two forming-rolls,which are mounted in suitable housings.

C and E represent two driven finishingrolls, which are likewise mounted in suitable housings, and E represents a former, which is suitably supported between these pairs of rolls and in such relation thereto that the skelp after being initially bent by the rolls A and B passesinto the mouth of the former and after being still further bent within the Serial No. 145,697. (No model.)

former passes from the delivery end thereof into the embrace of the finishing-rolls. I

K represents a guide for delivering skelp properly to the rolls A and B. As shown, it is a trough-like plate havinga'cover k, which is clamped thereon.

H and J represent reducing and feeding rolls by which the skelp is reduced to the proper moved through this guide. These rolls H and J and guideK-are not, however, essential to the operation of the other parts of the mechanism. The strip might be fed byhand into theembraceof the rolls A and B.

The rolls A and B are formed with faces which are respectively concave and convex, and these rolls are so placed relative to each other that the pass between them'is of the thickness and is delivered to and shape in which it is desired to initially bend the skelp. In the construction shown the middle part of the face of the convex roll is substantiallycylindrical; butthesidesthereof are-curved in arcs of something less than ninety degrees of the same radius as the finished tube is to be, and the concave face of the other roll is similarly formed.

In the face of the roll Ais an annular groove to, located midway between the sides of the roll. A bar F, which is flattened at one end, passes between the rolls A and B and tits and substantially fills this groove. this bar, which lies upon the receiving side of these rolls, is anchored preferably by he ing'clamped to a bar which is secured to the guide K, and this end of this bar is beveled or curved substantially as shown at f, so as to guide the skelp into the embrace of said rolls. This bar passes through the former E and also between the finishing-rolls O and D and is cylindrical except at itsfront end, as stated. The part of the bar which passes through the former and between the finish- The cover-plate does not extend up to these mo The end of rolls, but begins a short distance away from them. This cover-plate is fastened down upon the plate E by any suitable means-as, for example, the wedge M. In the lower face of this cover-plate is a groove 6 which, together with the groove 6 makes a longitudinal forming-recess whose cross-sectional area is gradually changing and approaching the cylindrical form as it continues toward the delivery end of the former. In fact, said recess at the delivery end is very nearly a true cylinder. A longitudinal rib e is formed upon the cover-plate within this recess, and against this rib the upper side of the mandrelbar F bends. This rib is of gradually-decreasing width toward the delivery end of the former, and therefore does not interfere with the bending of the edges of the skelp toward each other. In fact, this rib serves a useful purpose in this connection, because it prevents the edges from bending unequally, the rib being so formed that at any point in its length the edges of the skelp, passing through the former, are approximately in contact with both sides of said rib. Then the skelp emerges from this former, it is ofsubstantially cylindrical form, and it embraces the mandrel. It then passes between the finishingrolls,which bytheir action fix and finish the cylindrical conformation of the tube so formed.

In employing, the described mechanism for the purpose stated it is necessary to cut off the corners of the front end of the skelp N, substantially as indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, so that said front end may pass into the embrace of the rolls A and B. The part of the bar I on the receiving side of these rolls guides the skelp so that it passes under said bar and between the rolls. The

part of said bar between the rolls A and B and the mouth of the former acts both as a guide and a stripper to prevent the skelp from adhering to the rolls and to carry it properly into the mouth of the former.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. The combination of a pair of driven forming-rolls, the operative face of one roll being convexly curved at its edges and the other roll having in its face an annular groove which is concavely curved at its edges, the middle parts of the operating-faces of said rolls being substantially cylindrical, the concave roll having also an annular groove midway between its edges, with a mandrel-bar which is anchored on the receiving side of said rolls and which passes between said rolls and lies wholly within the groove in the concavely-curved r'oll, substantially as specified. 2. The combination of a pair of driven forming-rolls whose faces are respectively concave and convex, the convex roll having an annulargroove midway between its edges, a pair of driven finishing-rolls, and a former which extends between said pairs of rolls and consists of a bottom plate and a top plate removably secured together, said plates having between them a tubular passage which, at its entrance end, is of substantially the shape of the pass between said rolls, and which gracinallyassumes a substantially cylindrical form which it has at its delivery end, and a mandrel passing between the forming-rolls and lying wholly within the groove in the convex roll and passing also through said channel and between the finishing-rolls, said mandrel being seen red to.a fixture on the entrance side of the forming-rolls, substantially as specified. In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of .two witnesses.

WILLIAM CAIRNS.

Vitnesses:

E. L. THURSTON, E. B. GILCHRIST. 

